Labor Organizations

Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)

the banding together of industrial workers for mutual protection against the oppressive action of employers, and for aggressive action in bringing about better working conditions, better wages and shorter hours, etc. Such organizations were first formed in Great Britain after the invention of steam-driven machinery brought about the factory system of production in manufacturing, and were then forbidden by act of Parliament. During this period of prohibition the workingmen organized secretly and often resorted to terrorism in enforcing their demands. Eventually this act was repealed and labor organization progressed at a normal rate. The first labor organizations in the United States appeared in the early thirties of last century, the various trade unions joining together into municipal and district federations. These bodies polition, and one, in also participated in politics, and one, in New York City, sent its president to Congress in 1833. An attempt was then tempt as then made to form a national labor party, nal labor party. generally known then as the Loco-Foco he Loco-Foco Party. In New England a broader form broader form of organization was formed, in the late formed, in the late y forties, known as thirties and the early forties, known as and Working. the Farmers, Mechanics and Workingcentral bead. men's Association, with central head- Another organiza quarters in Boston. Another organization was the New England Working- England Working men's Protective Union, organized on a Inion, organized on a basis somewhat similar to a fraternal milar to a fraternal apters in each com order, with local chapters in each comfraternity, however, munity. This latter fraternity, however, emphasized co-operative buying more tive buying moru action, and when ita than trade union action, and when its d, shortly be commercial enterprises failed, shortly before the Civil War, it too went to pieces. to pieces. Shortly after the Civil War a nationa nation wide labor organization was formed, formed, known as the Noble Order of the Knights f the Knights of Labor, also assuming the form of a the form of body acquired a fraternal order. This body acquired a strong membership all over the indusall over the indus country during the trial sections of the country during the eighties. Its leadership was extremely es extremely radical, and desired to bring about a ring about socialistic order of society, not through not through politics, but through co-partnership and tnership and co-operative enterprises. It was this It was this Sout the ulti program which brought about the ultimate destruction of the organization, as zation, the co-partnership enterprises proved ises proved themselves inherently impractical and by ractical and by their failures inspired the rank and file ank and filo with a sense of discouragement. At a ent. At a later date the leaders turned their attend their attention to politics and, with the agriculagricul tural elements of the Middle West, West formed the Populist Party. The failure Dura of this political organization brought about the final decline of the Knights of Labor. Meanwhile, in the early nineties, a tendency toward trade unionism manifested itself, and eventually resulted in the American Federation of Labor, which is the dominating form of labor organization in the United States at the present day. Labor organizations, as a whole, may whole, may be divided into two distinct classes, or phases; trade unionism, and industrial and indu unionism. Trade unionism, or crafts or craft unionism, as it is sometimes called, is of s called, is of is form the British origin. Under this form the workers are organized in bodies accordbodies accord ing to their trades, regardless of loca gle house the men tion. Thus, on a single house the members of twenty different labor organizalabor organ tions may be employed. tire